The 8th State Senate District Is Critical to the Future of Wisconsin

As it stands now, it is less than two months until the State Senate 8th District recall election. This looks to be a hard fought heated affair between Senator Darling and State Representative Pasch. I don’t want to exclusively focus on this single contest but to address a larger issue, the balance of power.

I have always been one who strongly believes in maintaining a balance of power throughout the three branches of government. This is the classic principle of “checks and balances” outlined in both the Federal and State Constitutions. Traditionally each branch has jealously guarded their assigned powers and encroachment of one branch on another has been vigorously resisted.

In Wisconsin, we are in a unique position where the State Executive is attempting to increase the executive branch’s power to unprecedented levels. This is illustrated in the legislative changes he has demanded to be given, supported by claims that it is necessary to govern more efficiently, effectively and solve the state’s revenue problems. This has included the change in the Department of Commerce to a new private-public partnership agency and the change of 38 high-level civil service positions to that of political appointments. Once these powers are given to the governor, any governor, it will be very difficult to withdraw or amend those powers. An example of such power is illustrated with the problems that became identified with the line item veto and the executive’s ability to change legislation to his/her own legislation by simple pen & ink changes. It was not easy to get these changes through. Governor Tommy Thompson was always viewed as a strong governor and it took a strong state legislature to resist many of his more extreme moves.

We have a different problem now with our current governor and the state legislature. Governor Walker’s aggressive libertarian restructuring and redistribution programs along with a decidedly far right legislature, who are willing to give this governor unprecedented power; are creating conditions of change that are moving too quickly, too extreme and only in a single direction. Once the changes are made, just as with the line item veto, it becomes extremely difficult to adjust or negate those changes. Those citizens who are either opposed to the changes or the speed, at which they are being made, feel deserted by the state legislature to fairly represent that opposition or to be willing to pursue compromise to gain more acceptable legislation.

I feel that many of these legislators were swept into office, along with Ron Johnson, on the “coattails” of a single party line vote for Scott Walker. The current governor, during the campaign, never once mentioned the draconian changes or the enhanced executive powers he was seeking. This has left many independents and moderate Republicans, who voted for the governor, more than slightly upset and feeling betrayed and manipulated. This group along with the progressives, in the 8th Senate District, created a true grassroots movement to force a recall of one of the most powerful Senators in the State of Wisconsin.

I have talked to a fairly large group of 8th District independents and moderate Republicans who have switched their support away from Senator Darling. Invariably they will begin the conversation with a statement about how she has changed over the course of her 18 years in the State Senate. From the beginning of her tenure in the senate she was seen by these folks as being a moderate Republican with interests in fiscal conservatism and a social moderate. Over time she has steadily moved to extreme fiscal and social conservatism. Many had commented that her strong position for the support of Wisconsin Planned Parenthood to one of defunding the entire program is a change that many thought was inconceivable only a few short years ago. More and more of her former supporters are beginning to understand that her views now mirror those of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) of which she is a member; a notoriously extreme right wing organization that writes model legislation. It is no coincidence that so much identical legislation is introduced simultaneously throughout the nation’s Republican controlled legislative houses. Senator Darling’s ideological shifts may be sufficient reason to deny her another term in the 2012 general election, but why now through a recall?

We have a rare opportunity to bring balance back to the State’s Legislature, thus returning the government to where constitutional checks and balances can be effective and work to the benefit of all the citizenry. The only way to slow down Governor Walker’s grab for unprecedented power is shift the Senate to the opposition. This makes it imperative to increase the Democratic senate seats by three, and the 8th Senate District is a key to this change.

Although State Representative Sandy Pasch is generally recognized as a progressive, she is much more in line with where Senator Darling used to be. She is accessible to her constituency and prides herself in communicating back to the voters. Her commitment to the State needs in revenue, healthcare, education and full employment makes her a candidate worthy of support by those dissatisfied with the current administration and the rubber stamp legislature. Pasch also understands the long-term consequences of the rush to extreme change and the impact it will have for decades to come. The mischief now being done will not be rectified until the citizenry are represented by people willing to reestablish the power of the legislature and in this case the state senate.

I know that many will criticize my piece by stating the Republicans are not doing anything the Democrats haven’t done in the past. This may well be the case, but this time around we have a governor who clearly has autocratic beliefs and tendencies and an extreme right wing legislature unwilling to check his grab for power. Our future is dependent on returning Wisconsin to good old -fashioned Midwest moderation, reason and a commitment to serve all the citizens and not just the moneyed self interests.